Vince Cable defends Guardian over Edward Snowden intelligence leaks

Mr Cable branded it a “considerable public service”, contradicting his leader’s comments 24 hours earlier that the stolen documents would interest terrorists wanting to harm Britain.

Ex-GCHQ head Sir David Omand today branded the leak “the most catastrophic loss” of British intelligence ever, suggesting Chinese and Russian analysts were already dissecting the papers.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May have already backed infuriated spy chiefs who claim the documents leaked by ex-CIA worker Edward Snowden are a “gift” to extremists.

Speaking on BBC radio, Mr Cable said: “I think the Guardian has done a very considerable public service. What they did as journalists was entirely correct and right.”

Mr Cable accepted “genuinely important” data had been leaked and also backed Mr Clegg’s call for better oversight of the intelligence services.

But his comments mark a split with his leader over how the Government should respond to the decision to print sensitive details of GCHQ activity.

The papers leaked by Mr Snowden earlier this year revealed how spies at the Cheltenham surveillance centre access phone calls and web traffic.

Speaking to The Times today, Sir David said: “The assumption the experts are working on is that all that information, or almost all of it will now be in the hands of Moscow and Beijing. It’s the most catastrophic loss to British intelligence ever, much worse than Burgess and Maclean in the 1950s.”

Mr Cameron has called on Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger to be more responsible. Ms May echoed the sentiments of MI5 director general Andrew Parker, who said the leak would help terrorists “strike at will”.

The Guardian printed supportive comments from editors of foreign papers today, saying its actions had been “important for democracy”.